Despite Low Ratings, Ben And Kate And The Mindy Project Earn Full Season Orders

Fox’s freshman comedies Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project have been greenlighted for full season orders. The network announced the news Monday, noting that six episodes have been added to Ben and Kate’s initial order and a whopping nine episodes have been added to The Mindy Project’s schedule to keep the programs on air through the spring.

Though Ben and Kate has earned decent reviews, and The Mindy Project has earned better reviews, the full-season pick-ups seem a little surprising. Neither show premiered to strong ratings, and last week, TV By The Numbers reported both comedies did only a little over 3 million viewers. That’s an ‘ouch’ that could be saved by a good 18-49 demographic rating, but neither show even reached a 2.0 rating in that target audience.

Fox Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly says the network is producing more episodes of both shows because they are the types of shows Fox wants to support.

“Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project have everything we want to stand for in comedy: smart writing, hugely appealing casts and comedy that feels contemporary and real.”

So, basically, the network has already invested, and since Fox feels the shows are good enough to deserve bigger audiences, they are giving their Tuesday night darlings the chance to shine. Still, if both shows are losing out to the little-watched Raising Hope in total viewers, they have a long way to go to be hits for the network. If you are a fan of either show, tomorrow would be a good time to start tuning in regularly.

Ben and Kate airs on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET and The Mindy Project airs on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET.